When the idea of the A3 sedan was first hatched, Audi executives mentioned the term “B5”. To many less familiar with the brand this innocuous alphanumeric may not have meant much, but to those dialed in it meant something very special. It meant this new littlest Audi sedan has big shoes to fill.
First, Some Background.
Back in 1993, the brand of the four rings was on the rocks. Its product was aging and its model nomenclature left a bit to be desired… maybe being even a detriment in the crucial American market where the Audi 200 had experienced some hardships.
By 1994 Audi changed their model names to the A-car range we know today, and it launched the first A4…. the “B5″ A4. That car was smaller than the Audi 90 it replaced, though barely. It had an aggressively small rear seat and low coupe-like roofline that gave it fantastic looks… especially so when paired with simple blocky 5-spoke alloys in large (for the time) 16-inch diameter. The car was launched as a V6, though an aggressively affordable 1.8-liter turbo (1.8T) version that was also highly tunable helped push the car’s volume well ahead of anything else in the Audi lineup.
That first A4 was an immediate hit and the talk of the young professional set who found it affordable. One of the first substantial car-related discussion forums (Jet’s A4 Page, then later A4.org… today known as Audiworld) was created out of one owner’s love for the car – a love that turned to lust when Audi fitted an even more tuneable 2.7-liter biturbo V6 into the car and launched the B5-based S4 in 1997.
Amongst car folk, this generation of cars is best known by the “B5” chassis designation. When its replacement the B6 arrived, the A4/S4 had gotten bigger and heavier. Now, with the current B8 generation, the A4, S4 and now RS 4 have grown to the size of that former era’s A6. Things have changed.
With the redesign of the A3, Audi executives saw an opportunity. There’d never been an Audi A3 sedan, but they surmised that such a car would be about the size of the B5 A4. Build a sedan version, price it right, and new customers will come. At least that was the belief held by American and Chinese Audi executives who lobbied German product planners heavily for such a model.
A handsome red concept car was conceived, fitted with the same 2.5-liter TFSI engine as the RS 3 and shown at the Geneva Motor Show… The crowd went wild.
The new 2015 Audi A3 sedan
For those keeping score, there are some fundamental architectural changes between the B5 Audi A4 and this new A3 sedan. Though very similar in size, the A3 is based on the Volkswagen Group’s latest architecture with transversely mounted (East-West) engine configuration rather than longitudinal (North-South) as in the A4, A6 and A8. This means a different type of quattro all-wheel drive system (Haldex) and an engine that sits further back and lower in the chassis, which also allows the A3 to have a shorter front overhang than its larger siblings. This means the A3 makes use of Audi’s transverse engine options… think anything already available in the A3 or TT.
From a styling standpoint the new A3 is handsome. Unlike models such as the Q7 or TT, the car changed considerably from the concept car that inspired it. The roofline has gotten taller and less coupe-like, and it isn’t as wide. Don’t let that fool you into thinking that this car isn’t aggressive in its move to embrace the magic of the B5 though. Comparatively speaking, the A3 sedan is some 10-inches shorter than the current A4 and only 1-inch more narrow.
While the A3 loses some of the cartoonish B5 form, it gains improved rear-seat headroom and better aerodynamics… and that’ll earn it points in every day practicality, even if you end up with a car that isn’t quite the heart-wrenchingly awesome form of the B5 or the similarly styled A3 sedan concept car.
While these changes may make the car not quite as low-slung and aggressive as the concept car, that doesn’t mean the A3 sedan isn’t handsome. It is. It uses the same 1/3 greenhouse to 2/3 body proportions as the rest of the Audi family, and pairs a dominant upswept character line to further improve the overall look. The result is both very familiar and similar to the larger A4, A6 and A8 models, but changes things up with details like the scowling eyebrow LED signature at the front or deep red structures of the taillights.
Another key visual change is wheels. Though larger than the largest wheels fitted to that first A4, the standard 17-inch wheels look downright small on the A3. Our test car was fitted with handsome and optional 18-inch alloys, while a 19-inch wheel option will arrive later.
Inside is where the A3 really is revolutionarily different from the rest of the Audi sedan range. The design of the dashboard is extremely simple, with minimal buttons and controls. The vents remain TT-like in their roundness just like the previous A3, but many of the other controls are moved to the dial-driven MMI system now fitted to the A3 model for the first time. Even better, the highly effective touch pad of the A8 has been minimized, moved from dedicated surface area and instead integrated in the top of the rotary dial. The net effect is something very Bauhaus like in its minimalism, though it’s caused the car’s interior to receive some pans in the press from those more akin to the buttongasm norm set by many competing luxury carmakers.
The car’s MMI system is the foundation for launch point where the A3 steps from the traditional 4-door sedan world and into the dimension of the most cutting edge. That touch-pad adorned rotary dial with its bank safe-like click haptic adjustment is your key into the technological world of the A3 visible on a large 7-inch mobile-phone-thin screen that rises up out of the dash. The smooth and fluid animation on its vividly lit screen is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor. If, like our test car, it sports the optional and surprisingly fast 4G LTE WiFi sytem (an industry first), then its maps will offer satellite view and web searchable destinations all courtesy of Google. Other native apps will offer further functionality like Facebook, while a trick new Audi MMI connect app for your mobile device will provide even more improved integration between your mobile device.
The functionality of the new system isn’t the only groundbreaking element here. Audi’s latest infotainment system is based on the Volkswagen Group’s MIB (mobile infotainment matrix) component set. The Audi unit itself is a neatly packaged box installed in the glove compartment. It has been designed for ease of replacement or upgrade by the dealership since Audi recognizes that the rate of obsolescence in consumer electronics is considerably faster than the rate of replacement of automobiles by private owners.
Above the driver, the new sunroof is large. While not the two-segment glass panel of the previous A3 Sportback’s Open Sky setup, the single panel system is over-sized and larger than what we’ve seen in the more expensive A4.
Our test car’s standard seats are handsome and gripping enough for the average consumer, though an upgrade is offered and worth doing for the driving enthusiast. As compared to Volkswagen Group siblings, the driving position is a good mix – not low and cavern-like as experienced in the TT, but lower than the crossover-like tall greenhouse of the Volkswagen GTI. In the backseat, the space is comfortable, but snug… in some ways like the B5, though with better headroom.
Inside the trunk, the A3 quattro sedan sports 10.0 cubic feet of trunk. On top of that, the car also comes with a full-diameter spare tire. Essentially, this means you can follow your neighbor with the BMW 1 series through the same treacherous pothole and both blow a tire, but you can head out after a quick tire change while he waits for the flat bed.
Though our A3 had the 10-spoke 18-inch wheel upgrade, our Scuba Blue test car was not fitted the planned $550 Sport package that also includes Audi Drive Select. This meant no sport seats and also no Audi Drive Select or steering-wheel mounted shift paddles. We lamented the absence of the paddles though and highly suggest this option be checked for anyone who enjoys spirited driving.
Speaking of spirited driving, the A3 proves highly competent on the road. The electric steering is direct, precise and well-weighted, though not so communicative as a direct mechanical system – the nature of a steer-by-wire system. Going out back-to-back in a car with 17-inch wheels and then our tester though, we did notice that the steering feels better with the larger wheels and contact patch.
Noise levels inside the cabin are minimal, augmenting the feel of the solid-feeling chassis with plenty of sound-deadening.
The A4’s 2.0 TFSI quattro features 220 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. It’ll cost you about $3,000 over a standard 1.8 TFSI front-wheel driver, which seems like a bargain to our tastes. Not only do you get better traction and performance at minimal cost to fuel economy, the added power seems to be better suited to the lively twin-clutch S-tronic transmission.
Perhaps our biggest criticism of the new A3 sedan is the lack of any choice of manual transmission throughout the lineup of the new A3. Though they’re dwindling in number, buyers of such cars are often ardent supporters or critics depending on how they feel about the car. The consolation prize here according to a most logical German is that S-tronic is both faster and more fuel economic… plus, it’ll do those cool throttle blip down shifts in Sport Mode just like the S4, S5, S6 and S7.
Fuel economy is 24 MPG city and 33 MPG highway, what we’d expect from a car this size driving all four wheels. Fuel misers who don’t mind running sans all-wheel drive may want to opt for the 1.8 TFSI or hold out for the even more miserly TDI clean diesel version that’ll certainly be the mileage king of the A3 sedan range.
As for performance, the 2.0 TFSI is enough for most. You won’t be doing any four-wheel drifting thanks to the car’s gobs of traction. Like most Haldex-equipped Audis, the A3 has a tendency to understeer of pushed too hard.
It will be interesting to see how Audi chooses to handle this computer-controlled all-wheel drive system when Audi Drive Select is paired. Theoretically, Audi could run different programs through the system much like Haldex controller boxes out there in the aftermarket right now. We’ll have to save assessment of that for another day though, since our car didn’t have Audi Drive Select.
So how was it fitted? Our Premium Packaged A3 2.0 TFSI ($32,900) included Audi Concert Radio (AM/FM/CD/Satellite Radio), Pre-Sense Basic, Leather Seating Surfaces with 12-way Power Driver’s Seat, Micro-Metallic Silver Dashboard Inlays, Speed-Sensitive Electromechanical Steering, Three-Spoke Multi-Function Steering Wheel, Alarm System with Immobilizer, Audi Sound System, Audi Xenon Plus Front ighting with LED DRLs and Taillights, Manual-Folding Power Exterior Mirrors, Panoramic Sunroof with Tilt/Open Functions and Sunshade, Rain/Light Sensor and Tire Pressure Monitoring System. The Premium Plus upgrade ($2,550) included 18-inch 10-Spoke Wheels with 225/40 All-Season Tires, Audi Advanced Key, Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control Panel, 12-Way Power Passenger Seat and the Audi Music Interface. Our car also included the Audi MMI Navigation Plus package ($2,600) with Audi MMI Navigation Plus, Driver Information System with Trip Computer, Audi MMI Navigation High Control Panel and Audi connect with Online Services. The Scuba Blue metallic paint added $550, plus a destination charge of $895. All-told, our A3 2.0 TFSI quattro test car weighed in at $39,495.
So, is the A3 sedan as ground-breaking as the venerable “B5″ A4? We believe it is. It won’t stand out from the rest of the range now, because the current Audi range is so much bigger and so infinitely more capable. That said, it will no doubt mark a significant volume boost for the Audi brand in this market. Also, this new sedan shape will be much more widely appreciated by the greater market than was the more quirky Sportback 5-door body style of the previous A3. The trick for Audi will be to keep enthusiasts happy, though upcoming TDI, S3 and Sportback TDI models aim to fill that gap just fine. For now, the new A3 sedan marks a solid and tech paradigm-shifting entry into one of the hottest premium brands in the business.
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